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A recovery exercise drill to help you get used to hearing your voice
If you edit out every breath, "um," and awkward pause because you think it makes you sound more professional, you are actually hurting your authority. Psychology shows that being "too perfect" triggers the Uncanny Valley effect and makes listeners distrust you.
In this episode, we look at behavioural psychology (specifically the "Beautiful Mess Effect" and the "Pratfall Effect") to understand why humans who show vulnerability (with that voice you "hate"!) win more trust than those who polish everything. We explore the "pratfall" effect and how it applies to both improv and podcasting.
You'll get the psychological facts about how audiences perceive mistakes and understand the importance of failure acceptance in creative fields. I give you an exercise you can try today to practice speaking, using your voice, for your next episode (and it also works great for webinars too).
Get some podcasting tips, a useful exercise, and improve your content.
Key Takeaways:
- How podcast editing generally handles errors, versus the spontaneous nature of improv.
- Why we view our own mistakes as weaknesses but view others' mistakes as courage (The Beautiful Mess Effect).
- How to use the "Pratfall Effect" to increase your likability as an expert.
- Why filler words like "um" are actually neurological signals that help your audience process complex ideas.
- My "Recovery Drill" to train your brain to speak continuously without stopping for mistakes.
RESOURCES:
Research on the Beautiful Mess Effect (Anna Bruk, University of Mannheim):
https://www.bps.org.uk/research-digest/beautiful-mess-effect https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326743464_Beautiful_mess_effect_Self-other_differences_in_evaluation_of_showing_vulnerability
Research on The Pratfall Effect:
https://ofdblog.wordpress.ncsu.edu/2022/08/22/re-engage-with-your-students-by-being-more-authentic-and-showing-your-humanity/ (see references) https://lup.lub.lu.se/luur/download?func=downloadFile&recordOId=8970932&fileOId=8970933
Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages:
https://juliacameronlive.com/
On Filler Words as Signals:
https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/um-so-how-filler-words-can-be-effective-communication
Episode on Improv and Failing (as fun!):
https://youtu.be/RTN5KfE7GZ4
Join the Lab & Get the Newsletter:
https://stereoforest.com
CHAPTERS:00:00 Improv vs. Podcasting: The Mistake Mindset
01:23 Welcome to the Podcast Performance Lab
02:57 The Beautiful Mess Effect: Why We Judge Ourselves
03:29 Construal Level Theory: The Bark vs. The Forest
05:35 The Pratfall Effect: Competence & Vulnerability
06:58 The Uncanny Valley: Why Perfect Audio Sounds Fake
09:20 The Neuroscience of Filler Words (Why "Ums" are Signals)
14:09 Exercise 1: The Continuous Speaking Drill
17:03 Exercise 2: The Distraction & Recovery Drill
20:19 The Challenge: Leave One Mistake In
About and Support==========================
Written, edited, and hosted by Jen deHaan.
Contact Jen at https://jendehaan.com
SupportYour support will help this show continue. Funds will go towards hosting and music licensing for this show and others. This show is produced by an independent HUMAN artist directly affected by the state of the industry.
Support the Show- Like this episode or show and want more? Support us with a one-time tip: https://performance.captivate.fm
- We love our podcast host Capitvate.fm! Contact to ask me anything, anytime. You can support the shows by signing up with Captivate here: https://www.captivate.fm/signup?ref=yzjiytz
- We have our newsletters on Kit.com. We also have our tip form with them, and sell products on their platform. Easy, and they don't take a cut! Check Kit out and support the show using this: https://partners.kit.com/ijdkivtf8ndd
- Transcriptions by MacWhisper. I use and love the Pro version (subscription free!) - you can get it too using this link: https://gumroad.com/a/20303251/ivpqk
- Schedule posts? We use Metricool (reasonable for multiple accounts/brands/shows). Support us using our link: https://f.mtr.cool/VZBOZR
About Jen
Host: Jen deHaan has a background of almost 30 years in tech, education, & instructional design and 10 years in improv and performance.
Jen's website: https://jendehaan.com
Made and produced by Jen deHaan in British Columbia, Canada.
View all episodes
By Jen deHaanIf you edit out every breath, "um," and awkward pause because you think it makes you sound more professional, you are actually hurting your authority. Psychology shows that being "too perfect" triggers the Uncanny Valley effect and makes listeners distrust you.
In this episode, we look at behavioural psychology (specifically the "Beautiful Mess Effect" and the "Pratfall Effect") to understand why humans who show vulnerability (with that voice you "hate"!) win more trust than those who polish everything. We explore the "pratfall" effect and how it applies to both improv and podcasting.
You'll get the psychological facts about how audiences perceive mistakes and understand the importance of failure acceptance in creative fields. I give you an exercise you can try today to practice speaking, using your voice, for your next episode (and it also works great for webinars too).
Get some podcasting tips, a useful exercise, and improve your content.
Key Takeaways:
- How podcast editing generally handles errors, versus the spontaneous nature of improv.
- Why we view our own mistakes as weaknesses but view others' mistakes as courage (The Beautiful Mess Effect).
- How to use the "Pratfall Effect" to increase your likability as an expert.
- Why filler words like "um" are actually neurological signals that help your audience process complex ideas.
- My "Recovery Drill" to train your brain to speak continuously without stopping for mistakes.
RESOURCES:
Research on the Beautiful Mess Effect (Anna Bruk, University of Mannheim):
https://www.bps.org.uk/research-digest/beautiful-mess-effect https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326743464_Beautiful_mess_effect_Self-other_differences_in_evaluation_of_showing_vulnerability
Research on The Pratfall Effect:
https://ofdblog.wordpress.ncsu.edu/2022/08/22/re-engage-with-your-students-by-being-more-authentic-and-showing-your-humanity/ (see references) https://lup.lub.lu.se/luur/download?func=downloadFile&recordOId=8970932&fileOId=8970933
Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages:
https://juliacameronlive.com/
On Filler Words as Signals:
https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/um-so-how-filler-words-can-be-effective-communication
Episode on Improv and Failing (as fun!):
https://youtu.be/RTN5KfE7GZ4
Join the Lab & Get the Newsletter:
https://stereoforest.com
CHAPTERS:00:00 Improv vs. Podcasting: The Mistake Mindset
01:23 Welcome to the Podcast Performance Lab
02:57 The Beautiful Mess Effect: Why We Judge Ourselves
03:29 Construal Level Theory: The Bark vs. The Forest
05:35 The Pratfall Effect: Competence & Vulnerability
06:58 The Uncanny Valley: Why Perfect Audio Sounds Fake
09:20 The Neuroscience of Filler Words (Why "Ums" are Signals)
14:09 Exercise 1: The Continuous Speaking Drill
17:03 Exercise 2: The Distraction & Recovery Drill
20:19 The Challenge: Leave One Mistake In
About and Support==========================
Written, edited, and hosted by Jen deHaan.
Contact Jen at https://jendehaan.com
SupportYour support will help this show continue. Funds will go towards hosting and music licensing for this show and others. This show is produced by an independent HUMAN artist directly affected by the state of the industry.
Support the Show- Like this episode or show and want more? Support us with a one-time tip: https://performance.captivate.fm
- We love our podcast host Capitvate.fm! Contact to ask me anything, anytime. You can support the shows by signing up with Captivate here: https://www.captivate.fm/signup?ref=yzjiytz
- We have our newsletters on Kit.com. We also have our tip form with them, and sell products on their platform. Easy, and they don't take a cut! Check Kit out and support the show using this: https://partners.kit.com/ijdkivtf8ndd
- Transcriptions by MacWhisper. I use and love the Pro version (subscription free!) - you can get it too using this link: https://gumroad.com/a/20303251/ivpqk
- Schedule posts? We use Metricool (reasonable for multiple accounts/brands/shows). Support us using our link: https://f.mtr.cool/VZBOZR
About Jen
Host: Jen deHaan has a background of almost 30 years in tech, education, & instructional design and 10 years in improv and performance.
Jen's website: https://jendehaan.com
Made and produced by Jen deHaan in British Columbia, Canada.